Not a cliche (part 2)

You were a memory
stronger, stranger and sweeter

than all my memories combined.

And even though that's a
clichéd thing to say,
there was nothing clichéd
about reading with you, precariously
perched
atop your balcony ledges,
listening to page after page
unfurl
and footstep after footstep run
then pause, and hover
in search of companions
only to run again to
unknown destinations. 

Today, when I have left,
having gathered
learning beyond what my mind
could measure,
may I thank you
for all the ways in which
you've mattered?

And pluck from each brick, each leaf,
each gulmohar petal,
each lecture, each trip, each bunk,
each canteen table,
memories to last me a lifetime?

And even though fishing for memories
is a clichéd way to be,
there was nothing clichéd
about what you mean to me.

You were a memory
stronger, stranger and sweeter
than all my memories combined.

And you were not a cliché.

(For the best place with the best memories; for SRCC)

Sau baatein karta ye buddhu sa mann hai :)

With this review, I hope to reverse the sequence reviews usually follow. So, here is my verdict about easily the best, most sensible, most beautifully put together family drama in recent times- it is a mast must watch. (four stars, okay?)

‘Kapoor and Sons’ impressed me, and no, it wasn’t solely because of a cute-and- droolworthy-as-ever Fawad Khan or an equally adorable Siddharth Malhotra. The movie made me laugh (a lot, lot, lot) and cry (just a little, but oh, it was for real!)

So, here is the movie summed up for you. You can read if you haven’t watched it yet, (no spoilers, I promise) so I can motivate you to spend your hard earned money without any regrets! J

And if you have watched it already, congratulations on a wise decision :P

1.      The plot

An atypical (or is it?) Indian family is brought together by the news of dear granddad’s heart attack. You have a father struggling to overcome financial concerns, a mother fed up of all the drama and two warring/loving brothers, Rahul and Arjun, in Fawad and Siddharth, respectively.  ( A Karan-Arjun equation, by all means, but the trailer told you so!) There is the extended family with chachu and chachi and two sweet sisters, too.

And yes, the quintessential pet dog completes the ‘happy’ family!

So when they all assemble under one roof in Coonoor, you have to expect more than just colourful fireworks. Explosions, perhaps?

2.      The characters

A granddad who practices dying and makes funny faces while calling the nurse names from his hospital bed; who watches porn and takes selfies using his iPad; who brings the family together and as a death wish, orders the whole bunch to pose for that perfect family portrait bearing the caption ‘Kapoor and Sons, since 1921.’

A father who provides, but has a lot to hide.

A mother who thinks, over thinks, reacts and over reacts; who makes mistakes, but who tries to hold the family together and breaks when it breaks apart.

Rahul, the elder brother, the perfect baccha, the successful novelist who hopes to replicate the impact of his previous master stroke. However, he isn’t the only one crafting stories. And his life story is a well kept secret.

Arjun, the younger brother, who tries to find himself, running away from his loved ones only to realize they are all he has, at the end. Tia, the love of his life, the effervescent sweetheart who is everyone’s sunshine despite battling her internal storms.

Watch the movie for the layers and nuances that the characters are enriched with. The world was never black and white. Grey is a common colour that runs through us all.

3.      The actors

Rajat Kapoor is a natural in the role of the exasperated father, while Ratna Pathak Shah dons the mother’s place perfectly. Rishi Kapoor keeps you entertained throughout with his antics as the silly, jovial grandpa and his comic timing is perfect, though a little crass at times! :P

Alia is her delightful pretty self. The girl next door thing suits her well, though I am getting a little bored of her doing similar roles. And the fact that she can muster up a Highway makes me expect a lot more.

Siddharth is charming. And you do end up feeling sorry for him while he is trying to make stuff work. A good performance. Aaaaannnnnd, the less I say about Fawad, the more you will enjoy the movie. We could very well be heading for a fifth super Khan in Bollywood- the guy steals the show even in a multi starrer. And I may be biased, but for me, he was the best thing about the 2.5 hours I spent in the cinema hall.   

4.      The music

The inimitable blend of catchy, peppy, upbeat, and soul stirring.  While Chull has already achieved cult status and a dedicated fan following, the  foot tapping Buddhu sa Mann won me over with its festive picturisation and cheerful vibe. Bolna can be heard in the backdrop of Arjun and Tia’s romance, but I would have preferred a more prominent place for the song. Towards the end, Saathi Rey gives you the feels and it is one of the tracks that grow on you, slowly and steadily.

5.      The setting

Beautiful cinematography with the locales of Coonoor displayed at their most brilliant.

6.      Best scene

The family breaks into a fight at a time when the plumber is at his wit’s end, fixing a leak and listening to their raised voices, and shattering glasses. Once he’s done and asked to quote his charges, he replies, “Ab is bure samay mein jo  sahi lage, de dijiye.”

And, at the very beginning of this fight (there are lots in the movie) Siddharth exclaims, “Kya baat hai, aaj sab mere bina hi shuru ho gaye?”

Epic dialogue delivery :P

7.      The impact

Do we ever know our families? Do we care enough to know about their jobs, their passion, their struggles, their loneliness, their wishes, their dreams, their hopes? Or are we so busy crafting a charade of perfection that we are swept away by the currents of our own deceptions?

The movie teaches you to never take your loved ones for granted, no matter what flaws they might suffer from. Because, in the end, as they always say, love conquers all.

Done reading? Now go, go, go, watch it J

Longing

Fractions crave completion.

There is something about a 0.99 that implicitly longs for another 0.01 to make it whole.

Reciprocals crave reciprocals.

The universe craves unity.

Heavy, drooping eyelids crave sleep.

There is something about tiredness that longs for rest and quiet.

Each malady longs for its cure.

Entrapment craves freedom.

There is something about a butterfly struggling to break away from the death grip of a mischievous child.

Restraint longs for liberation.

Night skies crave constellations.

There is something about the needle-points of light from millions of years ago which still shows lost humans the way.

The lost long for direction.

You are my fitting reciprocal, my last 0.01.

You are dreamless sleep, my inimitable peace.

You are the Pole Star, helping me find my way at a tumultuous, treacherous sea.

In my aloneness, I long for you.

I crave you the way craving craves to be craved.

My Kind of People

This piece is for all of you out there who mean the world to me. I am pretty sure I have told you how much you matter to me and how much I love you and how grateful I am that our paths cross. But, I am equally certain that I have hurt you, angered you, worn you down at least some time with the overbearing, dominant, possessive, unreasonable and rude character I periodically become.

So, this is an effort to apologize and to let you know I love you, even if I sometimes push you away :)

Thanks for being here, despite everything.

My kind of people:

The kind who will take the pains to actually open the link and read this ramble, despite being aware of the nonsense that sometimes comes tumbling out of my mouth, and of course, pen (keyboard, if you must!).

The kind who won't give up on me. And who will keep propelling me on and on and on till I finally manage to make it to wherever I need to.

The kind who care to call, and not just on birthdays. The kind who are unlike me, when it comes to making the effort to stay in touch; the kind who know magically when I am hurting.

My kind of people. The kind who will stay up at night if I don't sleep- when I am out, when I am down and needless to say, when I am down and out.

The kind who are kind to me, despite the staggering intensity of my stupidity, despite knowing that I invariably mess things up. The kind who continue to bless me with the honour of their faith, despite having been hurt.

The kind of people who believe I am more than the sum of my parts.

My kind of people.

The kind who will turn off the ignition at a long traffic light and roll down the windows to buy a flower or a balloon or a dysfunctional, cheap Chinese toy just because it helps somebody smile. The kind who believe in the good that the world has to offer; the kind who aren't afraid of being cheated upon- my kind of idealists.

The kind of people who will pose with me for pictures, no matter how messed up they are, inside; the kind who hug me despite having a million reasons not to; the kind who love without agenda.

My kind of people, who I can take to the gurudwara and sit with, in silence, for hours, without the need to make polite conversation; the kind I can talk to, late into the night; the kind I can contemplate the universe with.

The kind who won't judge but simply listen to my same old whines about the same old problems; the kind who type okay instead of OK in their texts; the kind who care for grammar, or if not, for feeling.

The kind who laugh and make me laugh till I am laughing so hard that my eyes have to cry; the kind I can cry with over the tiniest of issues- runny nose and blotchy cheeks and hoarse voice notwithstanding.

My kind of people. 

People who will clink their glasses of coke with mine and shout cheers, forgetting every misery they are plagued with, if only for a moment; the kind who won't withdraw from a hug unless I do; the kind who lift me up, whether I am down or not.

The kind who won't leave, because they know it will break me; the kind who will stay and the kind who make life tolerable and sometimes, even happier because of their presence.

You are all my kind of people.

You are all my best kind of people. 

I just wanted you to know that. 

But of course, I know you aready knew! Didn't you? ;)